grab at/for

phrasal verb

grabbed at/for; grabbing at/for; grabs at/for

: to quickly stretch out one's hand and try to touch or hold (something or someone)

People were grabbing at her as she walked through the crowd.

He grabbed for the ball and missed.

—often used figuratively

We grabbed at the chance to go.

political parties grabbing for power

Examples of grab at/for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But Wilson’s first touchdown of the game in the first drive of the third quarter tied the game and his extraordinary one-handed grab at the start of the fourth quarter gave the Jets the lead. —

Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024 At Tuesday’s news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump declined to rule out the use of force in a potential land grab for Greenland and the Panama Canal. —

Damien Cave, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025 The Rangers should have held on to grab at least one point, but Carolina is too good a team for this one to be among their most embarrassing. —

Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024 This do-it-all diaper tote has a genius design to make sure diapers, snacks, changing clothes, and bottles are easy to grab at the ready. —

Jasmine Grant, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grab at/for